Elevated electric-car line.



No. 639,7l3. Ptonted Dec. 26, I899.

.1. n. coouzv.

ELEVATED ELECTRIC CAR LINE.

(Application filed 0ct. 15, 1898.)

No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

Nu. 639,7l3. Patented Dec. 26, I899.

J. H. COOLEY.

ELEVATED ELECTRIC CAB LINE.

(Application filed Oct. 15, 1898.) m; Model.) 2 Shaats$heet 2.

PATENT Enron.

JOE H. COOLEY, OF ABILENE, TEXAS.

ELEVATED ELECTRIC-CAR LINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,713, dated December26, 1899. Application filed October 15, 1898. Serial No. 693,688. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOE H. OOOLEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Abilene, in the county of Taylor and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Elevated Electric-OarLines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and cleardescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inelevated electric-car lines, and more particularly to improvements uponmy former patent, dated May 31, 1898, and numbered 604,729, and relatingmore especially to improvements in the manner of the construction ofsome of the parts, all as Will be hereinafter fully described, and setforth in the claims hereto annexed.

Figure l is an end section of myinvention, showing all the partsassembled. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the elevated track as shown inFig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a preferred form of securing means for the cables.

Referring to the drawings by letters, P represents standards or postsarranged at suitable intervals and set in the ground at a suitable depthto insure their being held rigid therein and supported or anchored bymeans of the braces X or any other suitable brace which might suggestitself. Intermediate of the ends of these posts and at a desired heightabove the ground are arranged the transverse braces B and C, passingthrough openings in the standard Pand which in practice will preferablybe made of iron or other metalcapable of great strength,as the entirestructure will rest upon and be suspended from these braces. In orderthat these transverse braces 13 and C be strengthened and to equalizethe strain and weight to which they will be subjected, I provide asubstantially circular or oval shaped bracing-frame, as the case may be,which I will make in one or more pieces secured at the top of thestandard P by any suitable means and extending on either side thereofdown past and being engaged by the ends of the braces B and G andfinally resting at its ends in the sockets W", near the bottom of thestandard. Of course it is obvious that shouldIfind it convenient thisbracing-frame WV could be made in six sections, three on aside,withoutdeparting from the general structure or affecting the resultmaterially.

' Gare girders the ends of which are secured to the transverse braces Bin any well-known manner and are trnssed and tied by means of thetrusses b and the rods 1), upon which the cross-braces b are secured.These girders I arrange, preferably, in series of three on each side ofthe standard P, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, and upon the upper edges ofthese girders the bottom of the' cross or rail ties 25 will rest and besecured. Upon these crossties 25 will be fastened blocks S between thestringers r and W, the steel rails 1' being laid upon the stringers andfastened in the usual manner. The traction-rail or the middle rail Rwill rest directly upon the cross-ties 1. It is upon this middle rail Rthat the singletruck wheel fore and aft the car will run, the rails 7' rbeing nearly balance-rails and are braced, as shown at c.

On either side of the car-body I will provide one or more spring-mountedwheels which will be normally held out of contact with the side rails,but which bear against them and through the medium of springs will serveto balance the car without inconvenience to the passengers.

o 1) represent any suitable trolley-support.

To further strengthen and brace the girders G and add rigidity to theentire structure, I provide at the respective ends of the transversebrace C an upwardly-extending bracket h, the ends of which project atright angles. Intermediate of the juncture of this rightangularprojection with the main portion of the bracket and its outer end isabowed portion, substantially semicircular in cross-section, in which acable Z rests and is securely held therein by means of asimilarly-detachable member fastened to the bracket h by bolts. It willreadily be seen that in case I make the frame W of six sections, ashereto fore mentioned, this bracket might be cast or otherwise securedto the upper ends of the side members W or made separate,as desired.

0 is a loop in the bracket h, through which one end of thereinforcing-braces N are secured at the other end in an opening in thestandard P. The tension on the bracket caused by the inward pull of thisbrace forces the inner side of the bracket against the tri angular blockg, and thus prevent-s any displacement of said bracket and greatly addsto its rigidity.

The cables Z will preferably be three in number, one on each side or endof the transverse brace G and one in the center of the structure, allthree running longitudinally thereof, the center one passing through thestandard. At predetermined intervals will be arrangeddownwardlyextending cables P, which will be connected at the lowerportions thereof to the cross ribs or braces (Z, which pass throughopenings in the girders G,which run across the entire width of theframework and project on either side of the girders for some littledistance, and it is to these projecting ends that the cables Z aresecured. About midway of the ends of these ribs or braces d the lowerends of similar downwardly-extending cables are secured, which, whilethey are not shown in the drawings,their relative positions will beobvious by reference to the middle cable Z in Fig. 1.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided anelevated-railway system which will commend itself for simplicity,lightness, and rigidity of structure and adaptability to the use forwhich it is intended.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patcnt, is-

1. In an elevated electric-car system, the combination with thestandards having asuitable anchor on the ends thereof, of crossbeamssecured to and running transversely of the standards, supporting-girdersthe ends of which rest on said cross-bea ms, a traction-rail arranged oneither side of the standard, carbalancing rails located below the car,one on either side of the traction-rails, cables secured to the ends ofthe cross-beam above the track and supporting the girders by means of aseries of downwardly-projecting cables arranged at intervals along thefirst-named cable substantially as described.

2. In an elevated double-track electric-carline system, the combinationwith the posts,of the cross-beams B and G, girders arranged in seriesand supported by the cross-brace B, rail-ties arranged upon the upperedges of said girders, stringers and supporting-blocks arranged on theties, supporting or balancing rails secured on said stringers andsupporting-blocks, a traction-rail positioned intermediate of the twobalancing-rails and running parallel therewith, cables secured to theouter ends of the cross-beams C and supporting the girders through asecondary set of verticallyarranged cables positioned at intervals onthe first-na1ned cables substantially as described.

In an elevated double-track electric-carline system, the combinationwith the posts P, anchored in the ground, of the cross-beams B and G,the iron or steel bracing-frame adapted to equalize the weight of thestructure and connected to the respective ends of the cross-beams B andC, twoof the members of the bracing-frame at their upper ends beingprovided with brackets in which are cables running longitudinally thestructure its entire length, and carrying a second set ofdownwardlyextending cables supporting a series of girders intermediateof their ends, said girders resting upon the cross-beam B, thecross-ties, stringers and curved braces, supporting-blocks and railsarranged on said girders substantially as described.

4:. In an elevated double-track electric-carline system the combinationwith the posts having anchors at their ends adapted to be inserted inthe ground below the surface thereof, cross-beams B and O arranged onsaid posts, the substantially circular bracingframe secured to therespective ends of the cross-beams B and C, the cable-supportin gbrackets secured to the top of the side members of the circularbracing-frame, and held against the triangular blocks,located betweenthe inner sides of the brackets and the outer sides of thesupporting-frame by means of a transverse brace one end of which engagesa loop in the bracket and the other end being secured in thestandard,cables secured in said brackets, downwardlyextending cablesarranged at predetermined intervals to the firstnamed cable at theirupper ends, and at their depending ends to transverse ribs or bracespassing through openings in the girders sub stantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

5. In a double-track electric elevated-railway system, the combinationwith the standards and cross-braces, of the substantially oval-shapedbracing-frame WV consisting of a series of curved bracing members, theintermediate members WV carrying at their upper ends angularcable-supporting brackets, cables secured in said brackets and runninglongitudinally the structure, substantially as described.

JOE II. COOLEY.

W'itnesses:

W. S. LEWIS,

W. H. JoHNsoN.

